1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a CD-ROM (compact disc read only memory) reproducing apparatus for reproducing a CD-ROM disc on which informations such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, road maps, etc., are converted into digital data and recorded on the basis of a compact disc format.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
One conventional optical disc on which publications such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, road maps, etc., are optically recorded as digital data on the basis of a compact disc format is generally referred to as a CD-ROM disc. CD-ROM discs have recently become popular and have received a remarkable amount of attention; because a vast number of pages can be recorded on one CD-ROM disc, the CD-ROM disc is an optical disc to permit an easy random access, and the CD-ROM disc can be reproduced in a non-contact fashion to guarantee a semi-permanent life, etc.
Because physical characteristics (size, optical characteristics, track pitch, modulation method, etc.) of the CD-ROM disc are in accordance with the CD (compact disc) format, a mechanism of the CD-ROM disc reproducing apparatus can also serve as that of a CD player. Therefore, a player that can play both the CD-ROM disc and the CD can be provided by a minor modification such as the addition of a data decoder exclusively used for the above player.
The disc drive unavoidably includes a door or eject mechanism in order to change the CD-ROM disc. If the door is opened by force upon playback, then the rotating CD-ROM disc is ejected from the player suddenly or a scanning laser beam escapes to the outside, which brings about a very dangerous condition. Therefore, there is proposed a fail-safe that, when the door is opened by force, the power switch is turned off to thereby ensure safety.
If the playback of the CD-ROM disc is resumed after the power switch is turned off because of urgent business or after the power switch is turned off by force when the door is opened unintentionally, then the user must re-execute the disc operations. By way of example, it is frequently observed that, when the user is reading long sentences recorded on the CD-ROM disc, the power switch is turned off because of urgent business or that the power switch is turned off when the door is opened unintentionally. At that time, even though the user wants to resume the playback of the CD-ROM disc, the conventional CD-ROM disc reproducing apparatus cannot resume the playback from the point at which the playback of the CD-ROM disc was interrupted.